


One Kiss

by parx



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies), Waterparks (Band)
Genre: Crossover, Descendants - Freeform, Disney, M/M, waterparks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:28:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24113560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/parx/pseuds/parx
Summary: Awsten, seventeen-year old son of Ben and Mal, is royal but he wishes he wasn’t. Jawn, son of Gil and Jay, is both Awsten’s right hand man and an aspiring knight. When Jawn’s attempts to help Awsten navigate the pressure of being the crown prince stop being good enough, Awsten decides to take his fate into his own hands.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

“You will look stunning at the royal banquet next week, Your Highness,” the tailor announced as he stepped back to proudly admire his work in the mirror. 

Awsten pulled at one of the sleeves. It was a little itchy. “Thank you,” he said stiffly. “Leave me, please.”

“Shall I help you remove the clothing?” 

“No. I’d like a moment alone.” 

“Of course, Your Highness,” the man said, bowing deeply before quickly exiting. Awsten’s attendant started to follow, but Awsten quickly stopped him.

“Jawn, you may stay,” Awsten directed tiredly. 

"Yes, Your Grace," Jawn murmured. He turned back with his hands clasped obediently in front of his waist. As soon as the tailor shut the door, Awsten rolled his eyes up and stuck his tongue out, prompting Jawn to chuckle. 

“I hate this,” Awsten complained, turning back to the mirror to frown at himself. He fiddled with the golden key that hung around his neck. 

“Why?” Jawn wondered enviously, and he let his arms fall to his sides. “You look handsome, dude. I want a fancy suit.”

“You can have it. You can have all of them.”

“Yeahhh, I don’t think lavender’s really my color,” Jawn teased. 

“I’ll dye them for you myself,” Awsten pleaded. 

Jawn reached over and gently punched him in the arm before hopping up to sit on one of the gorgeously crafted tables. He grabbed a fresh, red apple off of the fruit display beside himself and took a bite.

Awsten let out a pathetic whine. “I want one.” 

Jawn tossed him that apple and, still chewing, took a new one for himself. In sync, they bit down, both fruits releasing a satisfying crunch. 

“I just think,” Awsten said through his mouthful, “that if I’m the crown prince, I should never have to wear anything fancy.”

Jawn snorted in amusement. 

“What?” Awsten demanded. “I should be able to make my own rules.” 

“Watch it - you’ll drool on your new robes.” 

“Fuck my new robes.” 

Jawn quirked an eyebrow but didn’t comment. 

Awsten motioned to Jawn’s nice outfit. “Don’t you miss running around in shorts and t-shirts like normal people?” 

“When I have to dress like this, yeah.” He straightened a little and smiled proudly. “But not in my armor.”

“You’ve been a squire for, like, two years. Aren’t you tired of it yet?”

“Nope.”

“Well, I’m tired of all of this. Robes and banquets,” he scoffed. “Shoes that hurt, and reading Latin, and taking lessons-”

“We all take lessons.”

“-and having my fucking pajamas picked out for me…” He whirled around and looked at Jawn. “Do you know that normal people in the kingdom get to wear whatever they want to bed? T-shirts and underwear!” he cried, outraged. “Some of them even sleep naked!”

Jawn didn’t respond. 

“I’m sick of silk. I know it's 'fancy' and expensive, but it feels weird, and it gets hot. Doesn’t help that it’s a long sleeve nightshirt that goes down past my knees!”

“Just have Aunt Evie make you something you like more,” Jawn suggested.

Awsten made a face. “If I tell her I don’t like the nightshirt, she’ll just ask me what else I don’t like.”

“Well, she can help, so that’s a good thing, Aws.”

“Not if I can’t shut up! What happens when I tell her how unhappy I am with everything?!” 

A troubled expression crossed Jawn’s features. 

Awsten straightened and turned back to the mirror. He let the apple fall to the floor (someone would pick it up and discard it later), brushed his fingers off on the sides of his trousers, and started to mess with the uncomfortable cuff of his sleeve again. “Sorry,” he said curtly. “I’m not unhappy.” 

“Awsten,” Jawn murmured, getting down from the table and walking over to stand beside him. Hesitantly, he set a hand on Awsten’s shoulder. 

“I’m _not_ ,” Awsten insisted, but even though their eyes met in the mirror, he was talking much more to himself than to Jawn. “Most of the time, I’m fine. It’s just… Sometimes I really hate all this,” he confessed in a whisper. “The balls, and the fittings, and the eyes on me every time I leave my room. No one even calls me my name except you and my parents - it’s just ‘Your Grace’ or ‘Your Highness.’ Sometimes I feel like if I have to hear the word ‘royal’ one more time, I’ll scream, you know?” 

Jawn smiled at him sympathetically. He reached toward Awsten’s hand, and Awsten was going to let him take it, but just then, there was a knock; the tailor was back. 

Through the door, he called, “Pardon me, Your Royal Highness, but I w-”

“UGHHHHH!” Awsten yelled, his face buried in his hands. 

Jawn had to stifle a sad laugh. 

* * *

“Dad?” Jawn asked, and both Gil and Jay looked over. Jawn’s eyes were trained on his half-eaten dinner. “What do you do if you know something important about somebody royal, but you’re not sure if you should tell someone what you know?” 

Jay watched him closely. “What do you mean?” 

“Like, if… if somebody royal’s… not happy.” 

“What kind of ‘not happy’?” 

Jawn set his fork down and frowned. “I don’t know,” he muttered. “Forget it.” 

“Is it Awsten?” Gil asked. 

“Gil,” Jay said gently. 

But Jawn nodded. 

“Is it serious?” Jay wondered. 

Jawn shrugged hopelessly. “I don’t think so, but… some of the stuff he was saying was an easy fix. He just didn’t want to tell anybody.” 

“In that case, it’s a matter of trust. He’s talking to you because he trusts you.” 

“What does that mean?”

“It means that you have to decide whether his happiness is more important than his trust.” 

Frustrated with that response, Jawn threw himself backwards to slump against the back of his chair. 

“What?” Gil asked.

“Now I’m _more_ confused.” 

Jay just smiled. “That’s okay. Take some time to think it over; this is part of your job now.”

It didn’t feel okay to Jawn. Not at all. He missed when things were easier. When he and Awsten had been allowed to run wild in the palace’s front garden, and when Awsten had been allowed to be a part of Auradon Prep’s fencing practice, and when Jawn had been allowed to stay for sleepovers in Awsten’s enormous bedchamber. Jawn loved those long, silk nightshirts that Awsten hated. And now they weren’t allowed to do much of anything. At least Jawn got time off outside of the palace to go home and unwind. Watch TV, play video games, put on comfortable clothes and hang with kids from school and chill with his dads (or wrestle with his dads). 

Awsten wasn’t allowed any of those things. 

“I love you guys,” Jawn said quietly. 

That had both of them up and out of their seats. Gil bent down and gave Jawn a hug, but Jay crouched down beside Jawn’s chair. “We love you, too,” Jay said solemnly. “If you need to tell someone what’s going on with Awsten, you tell. Aunt Evie is probably a good place to start.” 

Jawn leaned into Gil’s embrace. “I think he’s just sad,” he whispered. 

“He’s the prince, and he’ll be the king someday," Jay reminded. "Keep doing what you can to help, but remember, he’s not going to have an easy path."

Gil nodded in agreement. “Yeah, being royal is no joke.”

Jawn grimaced. “I know.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Hey, Mom?” Awsten whispered as the trumpets started to play. 

She didn’t even look over; she must not have heard him. Awsten sighed and straightened his back, lifted his chin another inch. All he wanted to do was get the hell out of the blazing sun and back to his chamber where he could rip these stupid clothes off. Forget about all the food, forget the celebration for… What were they supposed to be celebrating, again? Awsten didn’t know. Something he didn’t care about, no doubt. 

Still, he didn’t want to disappoint his parents, so he stood still while the music played. He turned his head slightly to the right, though, scanning the line of horses, knights and squires to look for Jawn. 

One of them moved just slightly, and Awsten looked back at the squire who was wiggling his fingers. Awsten zeroed in on his shoulder, and sure enough, there was the golden mark that meant he had a direct tie to the prince. As Awsten’s mouth broke into a small smile, Jawn’s helmet nodded almost imperceptibly and then went still again.

Feeling a little better, Awsten managed to get through all of the talk and clapping and music. Then it was time to eat. Awsten was looking forward to that until he was served soup. He sighed again, louder, and picked up the outermost spoon.  “Why can’t we have macaroni? Or cheeseburgers?” he grumbled to his mother. 

She smiled and tucked a lock of her purple hair behind her ear. “You can have whatever you want later.” 

He was quiet for a moment. “Mom?”

“What, honey?” 

“Do you ever think that maybe I’m n-”

“Your Majesty,” a servant interrupted, and Mom gave Awsten an apologetic smile and turned away.

Awsten sighed a third time, dropping his chin into his hand and rolling his eyes, not caring that he was in front of the whole kingdom. He pulled on the cuff of his itchy sleeve for the hundredth time that afternoon and then decided - fuck it. He sat back from the table and unbuttoned his jacket. It wasn’t until he had fully removed it that his father noticed. 

“Awsten, put that back on, please. I know it’s hot out, but we can’t have you partially undressed.” 

His tone was amiable enough, but Awsten felt a surge of anger toward him. He shook his head. 

“Awsten,” Dad warned. 

“It’s itchy,” Awsten snapped. 

“Put it back on. Now, please.”

“Ben,” Mom began, but Awsten shoved back from the table. 

He knew that people would be staring, but he didn’t care. “I’m not doing this,” he stated, just for his parents to hear, and then he turned on his heel and started toward the entrance to the palace. 

Mom started to stand, but Dad stopped her. “Let him go,” Awsten heard him exhale tiredly. “If anyone asks, we’ll say he wasn’t feeling well.” 

Angered further by his dad’s lack of care, Awsten didn’t bother to walk ‘properly’ away and instead broke into a jog. Once he was fully out of the public eye, he started to run, but he was quickly stopped by a voice.

“Awsten!” 

Awsten turned, and there was Aunt Evie hurrying toward him with a concerned look on her face. 

“What’s wrong?” she asked. When she caught up to him, she wrapped an arm around his shoulders. 

“I just wanted a cheeseburger,” Awsten answered defeatedly. 

“Okay,” Aunt Evie said gently, and she gave him a light squeeze. “Let’s go down to the kitchens, yes? I’m sure they can whip something up for you.” 

Hopelessly, Awsten nodded and let her lead him down the long, echoing hall.

* * *

“Jawn,” Lucas, Jawn’s knight, muttered as the knights and their squires filed into the palace. 

“Yes, sir.” 

“I understand that the prince is your personal friend, but you cannot interact with him while we are working. For his sake and yours.” 

Part of Jawn wanted to tell Lucas what was going on behind the scenes and why he'd moved while they were at attention, but Lucas wasn’t the right person. Jawn didn’t want to garner a reputation as a gossip. “Yes, sir,” he repeated. 

“Don't do it again.”

Jawn nodded once.

“You’re dismissed,” Lucas told him curtly.

Jawn bowed and then went to quickly remove his armor. 

* * *

“What was it like living on the Isle of the Lost?” Awsten asked Aunt Evie as they sat down on the floor of her chamber. He took a big bite of cheeseburger and watched her face go from surprised to sad. 

“It was… dangerous,” she replied slowly. “Why do you ask?” 

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m sick of it here.” 

Aunt Evie’s expression instantly turned frightened. “Well, you can’t go there.”

“I’m not going to, I just-”

“You can’t, Awsten,” she said, and she worriedly reached out to set a hand on his knee. “What is the matter? Why would you even think of something so terrible?”

“ _I said I’m not going there!_ ” 

A heavy silence fell. Aunt Evie stared at the carpet.

Quickly, Awsten said, “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to yell. Just - no one’s listening to me.” 

“The Isle of the Lost is a terrible place,” she began quietly without acknowledging Awsten’s apology. “It's even worse now than it was when it was my home. The villains and VKs who wanted a second chance, who wanted to be good, have all come to Auradon. The people who remain on the Isle are those who refuse to change. They thrive on being evil, on causing others pain. There are no rules - at all.” 

No rules at all? That sounded like heaven.

Trying to lighten the mood, Aunt Evie added, “There are no cheeseburgers, either.” 

He gave her a look.

“And no ice cream. No beds. No order, no kindness… No happiness at all.”

Awsten was stuck on the ‘no beds’ thing. “No silk.”

“No silk,” she affirmed, like that was a bad thing. 

“No trumpets?”

She laughed. “No. Certainly not. There's no music on the Isle unless people are making it themselves.” 

“What about soup?”

“There was soup," she recalled, wrinkling her nose, "but it's… not the same.” 

Awsten looked down at his juicy burger. 

“Why do you ask?” 

“Sometimes I wish things were different,” he said softly. 

“Different how?” 

Awsten just shook his head and focused on eating. 

“We’re very lucky to be here in Auradon,” Aunt Evie murmured. “And besides,” she said fondly, “if your mom hadn’t come over here, there would be no you.” 

“She told me once that she didn’t even _want_ to come here,” Awsten pointed out. 

Aunt Evie smiled. “Neither did I. Not in the beginning. But it’s the best thing that ever happened to me.” 

Awsten wondered if maybe going over to the Isle would be the best thing to ever happen to him. 


	3. Chapter 3

“Where’s Awsten?” 

Jawn turned. He was walking around the palace, back in his servant attire, when he turned to see the king and queen, who were still dressed in their banquet clothes. “Oh - hey, Aunt Mal.” He bowed a little to her and then deeper to Ben. “Your Majesty.” 

“Hello, Jawn,” Ben replied, unusually clipped. “Where’s Awsten? Have you seen him?” 

“Um, no, I don’t know. I was trying to find him. I looked in his room, but he’s not there. I thought maybe he would be in the kitchens.” 

Aunt Mal nodded. “Thank you, Jawn.”

Ben added, “Yes, thank you. I think he won’t be needing you for the rest of the day.” 

“We need to have a talk with him,” Aunt Mal explained. 

Jawn swallowed. “Oh, okay.” They started away, but Jawn called after them, “Wait!” 

They stopped and looked back.

“Is he in trouble?” 

Ben shook his head, and Aunt Mal immediately said, “No, he’s not.” 

Jawn sighed in relief. 

“Do you know where he is?” she asked again. 

Jawn shook his head. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. If you see him, please tell him we want to talk to him.” She smiled sadly. “And that he’s not in trouble.” 

“Okay, I will.” 

Ben gave him a nod, and he and Aunt Mal joined hands and headed toward the kitchens. 

* * *

“If you need to talk again, you can find me any time, okay?” 

“Yeah,” Awsten agreed blandly. “Hey, um… if I ever have another day where I have to wear a fancy outfit, can you make it for me?” 

“Yes!” Aunt Evie practically yelled. 

Awsten cracked a small smile. “Okay, thanks. The one I had on today was way too itchy.” 

“Was it polyester?” she asked knowingly, wrinkling her nose. 

“I don’t know…” 

“I’ll take care of it,” she promised, but the end of her sentence was drowned out by Dad calling, “Awsten!” 

Aunt Evie gave Awsten’s shoulders a squeeze, and she pressed a kiss to his hair. “We’ll get your measurements later, okay? When you feel up to it. It’ll be fun.” 

He gave her a halfhearted smile and watched as she flitted over to his parents. She whispered something in Mom’s ear, and Mom nodded. After a brief exchange of hugs, Mom held her hand out to Awsten, who was suddenly feeling like running away sounded like the best idea he'd ever had. But, ever the obedient little prince, Awsten reached out and took it.  “Sorry,” he lied. 

She shook her head. “Let’s go talk. Just the three of us, okay?” 

Awsten nodded. Okay… maybe this could work. 

A few minutes later, once they were in a room alone, Mom wondered, “What’s going on?”

“Why’d you leave the table?” Dad added, and Awsten looked up at him. He didn’t look mad; he actually looked like he cared. He looked like the dad Awsten remembered from a few years ago.

“We know it wasn’t about the jacket,” Mom told him. 

Awsten sighed. “Yeah. I just… I think I’m not cut out for this.” 

There was a long pause. The words hung in the air for several moments. It was Mom who broke the silence.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean I can’t do this anymore. I don’t want to be royal. I just want to be a kid. I don’t want to have to stand around at dinners and go to coronations in other kingdoms I’ve never heard of and have everyone watching me all the time. I just want to be normal. I’m not supposed to be…” He motioned defeatedly to his robes. “This.”

“I thought that about myself, too,” Mom nodded. “For a long time. Years.” She smiled at Dad. “But it was worth it." 

“Your mom was worried about ruling,” Dad agreed, “but look at her now - she was born for this.” 

“Yeah, but _I’m_ not,” Awsten stated. 

Both of his parents looked surprised. 

“Honey, I was right where you were-” Mom began, but Awsten cut her off as anger flashed through him.

“It’s not the same!” 

“How is it not the same?” Dad asked.

“Mom chose this!” Awsten cried, standing up. He looked first at his father, and then his mother. “You were born into it, and you chose Dad, so you chose it. Mom, you had a reason to try.” He looked at Dad again. “And you’re actually good at this! You told me yourself that you were _excited_ to be king. And that’s something that I’m never gonna be!” 

“Just because I was excited doesn’t mean I wasn’t afraid,” Dad pointed out.

“Bullshit!”

“Awsten, don’t _ever_ speak like that,” Dad said dangerously as Mom, shocked, said, “Excuse me? You need to watch your mouth.” 

“You’re not afraid of anything!” Awsten yelled. “Either of you!” Tears welled up in his eyes. “I’m not like you!” He rushed toward the door.

“No, Awsten, stop,” Mom pleaded. “Let’s talk about this. I want to hear what you have to say. Don’t go-”

“I didn’t ask for this!” he told them tearfully. “None of it! I just wanna be normal!” 

“Awsten-”

“I wish I was never born!” Awsten cried. “Or I wish - I wish I could be somebody else! A _normal_ kid!”

“Awsten, honey,” Mom tried again, but it was too late.

“I don’t belong here,” he snapped, wiping angrily at the tears that were falling down his cheeks. “You can find a new prince.” 

* * *

There was yelling going on behind the door. Jawn and the two other servants standing nearby all exchanged glances - not judging, just silently acknowledging that something was going on. Jawn felt nervous. He could hear Awsten’s voice. It was muffled, so he didn’t know what was being said, but it didn’t sound good. 

All of a sudden, Awsten burst through the door and shot down the hall, a mess of sobs. 

Without thinking, Jawn chased after him. Awsten was headed for the east spiral staircase, so Jawn darted through Awsten’s grandmother’s library and up the northeast staircase to head him off before he got to his room. 

It worked.

Jawn stopped in front of the door to Awsten’s bedchamber and waited about four seconds for Awsten to appear under the archway. When he saw Jawn standing there, he stopped running and stood still, hung his head, and just cried. Jawn approached, feeling heartbroken as he watched a tear drip off of Awsten’s face and land on the floor. 

“Shh, come here,” Jawn whispered as he got close. 

Awsten grabbed Jawn’s hand, both of them lacing their fingers together. Jawn walked him into his bedroom and shut the door behind them. As soon as they were alone, Awsten fell into Jawn’s arms. He sobbed and sobbed. 

Jawn held him tightly. It had been a long time since he’d been allowed so near to Awsten, and despite the situation at hand, Jawn was relieved to find that he still smelled the same. 

Awsten said something into Jawn’s shoulder - “-miss you,” was all he caught, so perhaps “I miss you” - and Jawn hugged him closer.

“I miss you, too,” Jawn confessed in a whisper. 

“Come with me,” Awsten pleaded.

“Where?” Jawn asked, but then he shook his head; it didn’t matter. “I’d follow you anywhere.” 

Awsten let out a little wail. “I can’t do that to you. Your dads…”

“What are you talking about?” 

Awsten shook his head. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he whispered into Jawn’s shoulder. 

“Don’t be.” 

“You’re the only reason I…” Awsten said sadly, but before he could finish his sentence, he started to cry harder. 

“Shh,” Jawn whispered. “It’s okay, Awsten.” 

“That’s all I wanna be,” Awsten sobbed. “I just wanna be Awsten. I just wanna be Awsten…”

“You’re Awsten to me,” Jawn promised. He pushed Awsten back a little. “All this royal stuff?” he asked, and then he shook his head. “It’s not why you’re my friend.” 

Awsten’s eyes were red, his skin pale, his face streaked with tears. He looked terrible - not like a prince at all. Jawn thought he’d never looked more beautiful. 

“Why am I your friend?” Awsten asked, voice wobbling. 

Jawn smiled. “Because you’re nice. Because you’re _fun_. Because you’re so smart, and you make me laugh, and you make me feel like I’m not some… peasant or something.” 

“You’re not a peasant,” Awsten countered, laughing a little, and he sniffed. “But even if you were…”

There was a long silence. The two of them stood there, staring into each other’s eyes. Awsten’s gaze fell to Jawn’s lips. 

Jawn took a deep breath-

They were interrupted by a knock at the door. “Awsten?” came Ben’s voice. 

“That would be the king,” Jawn whispered with a sad smile. 

“You should probably go, I guess,” Awsten sighed. He wiped at his face with the backs of his hands.

"You gonna be ok?"

Awsten nodded.

"Okay." Jawn gently bumped Awsten’s shoulder with his own. “Later.”

“Later,” Awsten muttered. “Hey.”

Jawn turned.

“Tell him I don’t wanna talk.” 

Jawn nodded. He let himself out the door and bowed deeply as he entered the king’s presence. 

“Jawn,” Ben said, a worried expression on his face. “Is he in there?” 

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Jawn answered. “He has requested time alone.” 

“Did he speak with you about our discussion?” 

“No, sir,” Jawn responded, gaze glued to the floor. 

“Are you sure?” 

Jawn looked him in the eye. “Yes, sir.” It was the truth, after all. “He didn’t mention anything.” 

“But he was crying?” 

Jawn nodded. 

“Very well. You are dismissed.” 

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Jawn bowed again and walked away. He knew better than to look back, but there was no rule against using his ears. Jawn listened as he traveled down the hall for the sound of Awsten's chamber door opening, but it didn't come. Jawn paused just around the corner and waited for several moments, but eventually, the king’s footsteps began their trip away from Awsten’s door.


	4. Chapter 4

“Hey! Hi,” Awsten said quickly, faking a smile as he jogged up the steps of the Museum of Cultural History.

The people at the doors looked surprised and hurriedly bowed to him, and he grimaced. As soon as they straightened, he forced the smile back on. “Hi. I need to talk to whoever’s in charge, please. Right away.”

“Of course, Your Highness. What can we help you with?”

Awsten had thoroughly thought through his lie, so much so that he didn’t even feel bad telling it.

* * *

“I brought you something,” Jawn said when they were alone the next day.

Awsten turned and smiled. “A present?” he wondered hopefully, the untouched homework on his desk now completely forgotten about.

“Not a present. Just a… I don’t know.” Jawn unzipped his backpack and tossed two white undershirts and two pairs of pajama shorts to him.

Awsten looked down at them in confusion. “Clothes?”

“PJs,” he explained. “To make things a little easier.”

Awsten grimaced. “I can’t.”

“Yes, you can.”

He shook his head.

“Yes, you can!” Jawn repeated with an encouraging smile. “Tell them Aunt Evie gave them to you.”

“But Aunt Evie _didn’t_ give them to me.” He tossed them back. “I know you’re trying to help, and I appreciate it, but we’ll both get in trouble.”

“But if you put them on after they say goodnight to you, th-”

Awsten's tone changed. “That’s _enough_ , Jawn.”

Jawn frowned as he slowly returned the pajamas to his bag. “Yes, Your Highness,” he mumbled. He hated being reminded of his place.

“HEY.”

Jawn looked up at the sound of the sharp tone to find Awsten glaring at him.

“Don’t _ever_ call me that. You know how I feel about that.”

Jawn nodded. He zipped the bag, and Awsten got a strange look in his eye, turned back to his work, and said shortly, “You’re dismissed.”

“What?” Jawn gaped. “Awsten. Seriously?”

But Awsten didn’t repeat himself or even give Jawn any cues that he had heard him.

“ _Awsten_.”

Nothing.

“This isn’t you. I don’t know what’s going on, but this-”

“This _is_ me.”

“No.” Jawn laughed emotionlessly. “You’re upset, and I get that, but you don’t get to take it out on me. If you think being called ‘Your Highness’ is bad, try being ‘dismissed’ by your best friend.”

“It’s what I should have been saying to you all along.”

Jawn blinked.

“You’re a servant.”

“I’m your _friend_.”

“You’re my servant first. And I'm the crown prince of Auradon.”

Jawn felt as though he’d been slapped. “Awsten, are you kidding me?”

There was silence again. Awsten’s pencil scratched against his paper. 

“Okay, well maybe I’m just a servant to you. But you’re not just ‘the crown prince of Auradon’ to me, okay?” 

“You are dismissed,” Awsten repeated.

Jawn yanked his backpack onto his shoulder and stomped out the door, slamming it behind him.

* * *

_Good,_ Awsten thought, and he immediately started emptying his backpack onto the desk. Paper and books wouldn’t do him any good. Well - except one book.

He stuffed a few shirts and a pair of pants into the backpack, grabbed his toothbrush and toothpaste, and found a comb. That was about it, right? What else could he need?

Awsten slid his desk drawer open and grabbed the one book he wanted, shoving it on top of his clothes and zipping the bag shut.

Now for the hard part: his escape. 

* * *

_Dismissed, dismissed, dismissed._

_You’re my servant first._

_Dismissed._

_Servant._

The words had been running over and over in Jawn’s head all afternoon. His dads must have been able to tell that something was off, because just after 8 PM, they both showed up in his doorway.

“Hey, kiddo,” Jay said.

Jawn tried to smile.

“You okay?”

He shrugged. He wasn’t tired, but he’d been sitting on his bed, staring down at his English homework for the past twenty minutes without getting a single thing done. Just like Awsten had earlier.

Awsten... 

Gil shoved his book and papers away and wrapped his arms around Jawn from behind. “You wanna… wrestle?!” He yanked Jawn sideways.

“No,” Jawn said, and although he would almost always protest, it was usually playful. Tonight, though, it wasn’t.

Gil didn’t stop, and Jay darted forward to join, so Jawn exclaimed, “I said no!”

Immediately, the mock fight ceased, and Gil let go of him.

“What’s wrong?” Jay asked, sitting down beside his son.

“Nothing.”

“Jawn-”

“Nothing!” Jawn’s shoulders deflated, though. “His ' _Royal Highness'_ is having a temper tantrum,” he snorted, rolling his eyes, “and he’s treating me like…” He made a face at his dads, and they filled in the blank.

“What’s going on?” Gil wondered.

Jawn shrugged. “That’s all. He’s just upset, and he’s taking it out on me.”

Jay reached out to brush a strand of Jawn’s hair back from his face, and Jawn softened. That hadn’t happened in a long, long time. He swallowed and confessed, “It’s the same stuff as the other night. He doesn’t want to be royal.”

They traded a glance.

“What?” Jawn demanded.

“And he’s pushing you away?”

Jawn nodded. “Yeah, really hard. Like…” He shook his head, the words Awsten had said filling his mind all over again and making him feel like crying. He knew Awsten hadn’t meant them, not really, but it still stung terribly. "Like I kind of never want to talk to him again after what he said today."

“You know…”

Jawn looked up.

“Aunt Mal's done that. When we were younger and she didn’t think she had what it took to be queen, she pushed us pretty hard, too. Aunt Evie and Uncle Ben, especially. She ran away once and everything.” Jay smiled sadly at the memory. “She needed time to come to terms with things and be able to believe in herself. Maybe that’s what Awsten needs, too.”

Jawn leaned into Jay’s chest, and Jay immediately wrapped him up in a hug. Gil slid forward to join them.

“I don’t know how to help him anymore,” Jawn whispered hopelessly. "I don't know if I even want to."

Gil started slowly rubbing Jawn’s back. “Remember the other night when we talked about this? Remember what Dad said?”

“Which part?”

“The part where if it’s getting too big, you can tell somebody.”

Jawn quickly shook his head. “No!” A million thoughts raced through his head at once -

_It’s not that bad yet._

_He’s still my best friend; I can’t betray him._

_He’s probably just being dramatic. Or maybe_ I’m _being dramatic._

_If I was just his servant, I wouldn’t tell on him, either._

“Okay, shh…” Jay murmured, and he started slowly rocking Jawn from side to side the way he’d done when Jawn had been a child. Jawn shut his eyes.

“Dad, what do I do?” Jawn pleaded softly.

He felt Gil and Jay exchange a glance over his head, and then Jay proposed, “Why don’t you tell us what happened, and we can help you decide?”

Jawn thought for a moment and then said, “You can’t tell _anybody_. Not even Aunt Evie.”

“Of course not,” Jay agreed.

“We solemnly swear to secrecy,” Gil added.

Jawn pursed his lips for a longer moment and then nodded. “Okay.”

But before he could say anything else, Jay’s phone rang with the obnoxious fanfare he’d picked as Aunt Mal’s ringtone. Jay silenced it and shifted his focus back to Jawn. “Go ahead.”

Jawn smiled at him; Dad had just hung up on the _Queen of Auradon_ for him. Jawn opened his mouth to speak, but Aunt Mal’s ringtone sounded again.

“Hang on,” Jay said, a desperate apology written on his face. “I’ll be quick.”

“It’s okay,” Jawn replied honestly. The first time had been enough to remind him how loved he was.

Jay slipped out of the room, but he was only gone a handful of seconds before he popped his head back in. “Jawn,” he said shortly.

Jawn looked up.

“Did Awsten say anything to you about leaving the palace?”

“What? No.”

“Are you sure?”

Why was everyone always asking him that?! “Yeah, I’m sure.”

“And did you… Did you help him do anything that he shouldn’t have been doing?”

Jawn shook his head, wide-eyed. “No. What’s going on?”

Jay put the phone back to his ear and slipped back into the hallway.

“Dad,” Jawn whispered to Gil, who gave him a hug. Jawn hugged him back. A new thought was bouncing around his mind: _If anything happens to him, it’s all my fault._

Less than a minute later, Jay returned. “Change your clothes, Jawn,” he said gravely.

“Why? Where are we going?”

“The palace. You were right to be worried; Awsten stole Aunt Mal’s spell book from the museum, and now he’s missing.”


End file.
